


M. D. Vlogs

by hqroyaltrash



Series: Mugiwara Vlogs [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Everyone Is Alive, High School, and stupid, if they're not old, like literally - Freeform, oda made me cry so much so uh here's some fun and happiness, this is just gonna be lots of fun
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:13:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22135366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hqroyaltrash/pseuds/hqroyaltrash
Summary: A modern AU of the Straw Hat gang that documents them just being normal for once. Follow them as they support friends at theatre performances, put on presentations for their families, throw hands with each other, and more. Get ready for some M.D. Vlogs!Updates every Sunday.
Relationships: Franky/Nico Robin, Monkey D. Luffy/Roronoa Zoro, Nami/Nefertari Vivi, Usopp/Vinsmoke Sanji
Series: Mugiwara Vlogs [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1593256
Comments: 25
Kudos: 108





	1. disney world

**Author's Note:**

> hi friends! so, i'm rereading one piece for the fifth time and was like, "wow, i should write a fanfic where everyone is alive and safe." and then boom, i thought of M.D. Vlogs! it's just gonna be random stuff with no plot because plot is hard and we need some happiness in this darn fandom. 
> 
> this is actually one of the stories in the series that I'm creating, Mugiwara Vlogs. those stories will center around people i ship where there is actual plot. but for now, please enjoy this goofy fanfic.

“Welcome, I would like to thank the two of you for coming to this meeting.”

Sitting on the couch in their living room, Garp and Dragon shared a look of confusion before staring at the three that stood across the room. There, Ace, Sabo, and Luffy all stood beside the flatscreen TV, all standing in suits and their hair slicked back. Ace was holding a MacBook that had a cord connecting it to the flatscreen TV. And displayed on the TV was a presentation that reads “Disney World”. Despite the very childish title, the first slide looked fairly professional. Not only that, the three boys looked so serious as they stood there with straight faces. 

“Luffy, what the hell is this?” Garp asked his grandson, gesturing to the screen and sheet of paper that was in his hand. The paper was a handout, a three-page handout to be exact. When Garp took a quick glance at it, it was very detailed and thorough for the topic that they were covering. 

“This is our presentation. A presentation about Disney World,” Luffy said with the snap of his fingers, causing Ace to hit a button on the laptop to change the slide. The slide only had a current picture of the three boys and the two older men, all smiling at the camera. “Good evening, my name is Monkey D. Luffy and I’m currently a senior in high school. I live with my father, Monkey D. Dragon, and my grandfather, Monkey D. Garp. I love these two very much and I am grateful for their love, support, and everything they have given me but there’s one thing I have yet to receive from those. And that’s a trip to Disney World.”

With a click, the slide changed to a picture of Disney World and its many attractions. “It’s strange that seventeen years old, I have yet to go to Disney World. Usually, a child whose family can afford it would’ve gone when they were about five or six. But not mine. My family has yet to go to Disney World. Which is very disappointing. But it’s okay because today, I’m going to showcase the reasons why we should go as a family. It’ll also include finances, rooming, and other things we could do in Florida.” 

Before Ace could change the slide, Garp raised his hand. “I’m sorry Mr. Garp, we’ll answer your questions at the end of the slideshow,” came from Sabo. 

He just narrowed his eyes at the younger boy. “It’s a very important question.”

“And we will answer that important question at the end,” Sabo said without budging. “Now, Luffy will talk about reasons.”

The slide changed. “Our Very Valid Reasons” was the title with bullet points, pictures of the three boys, Disney World, and Mickey Mouse ears are drawn onto another picture of the boys. “Reason number one, it’s family-friendly. It’s a great place to go to as a family and to bond together. Mr. Garp, you always talk about wanting to bond with your family, so this is a perfect way to do so. Reason number two, we like Disney. Disney is great, they have a lot of our favorite movies and TV shows. Mr. Dragon--” Dragon looked up from the handout, obviously trying to follow along with the presentation. Garp just rolled his eyes at his son’s attempt to go along with this. “You have said on different occasions that you like Disney, isn’t that true?”

“It is.”

“Perfect. Then going to Disney World would be beneficial for all of us. Reason number three, it’ll be a great graduation gift for me. As a great way to say goodbye to high school, going to Disney would be a perfect idea. It’ll be like a rite of passage for me. Saying goodbye to my childhood and hello to adulthood.” 

“I don’t think that’s how--” 

“Mr. Garp, please do not interrupt us, that is incredibly rude.” 

Garp grumbled as he crossed his arms, going silent after being called out by Sabo. 

“And last reason, reason number four that was added by Mr. Ace. Instagram and Facebook pictures that we can post and brag about our awesome family bonding adventure.”

“We’ll take enough pictures that we’ll be able to post them on all social media about how great our family is,” Ace chimed in. “We’ll even use cheesy captions like, ‘Love my family!’, or ‘Wished that I could go back.’.” 

“Precisely. These are all good reasons as to why we should go,” Luffy wrapped up before gesturing to Sabo. “Now, Mr. Sabo shall talk about finances.” 

Clearing his throat and having Ace change the slide, Sabo began to talk about the financial side of the trip. He brought up the cost for everyone, how it depended on how long they were staying and when they were going. There were charts, screenshots from the website, and even parts about costs if they were to fly or to drive. It was very detailed and it was obvious that the blonde boy put in a lot of time and effort into this part of the presentation. Hell, listening to him caused the two older men to consider the trip. They were impressed by the amount of time and work that Sabo put into his portion of the presentation. 

After Sabo was Ace who talked about each park. He gave backstory on each one, talked about the best family-friendly rides. He included how long they would have to wait for the rides, ones that Garp would enjoy, ones that would make Dragon smile, and which ones would make them sick. He then talked about the best places to get pictures as a family and individually. While his slides weren’t on par with Sabo's, Garp and Dragon could still see the work that he put into his section. 

And then they were back to Luffy who of course talked about food. His slides included the best places to eat, what to get, and the prices. Garp couldn’t help but roll his eyes at what his grandson decided to focus on. However, he knew that food was something that Luffy cared about the most in the world. And he had to give it to him, his points were detailed and took into consideration their finances. 

Each part of the slideshow was detailed and showed how much work the boys put in. By the time they finished their presentation, Garp couldn’t help but clap for them. Dragon following alongside. “Gotta hand it to you boys, that was a pretty good presentation.”

“Thank you, Mr. Garp,” the trio said in unison. 

“Do you have any questions?” Asked Sabo. 

“I have one,” Garp said, leaning back into the couch. “I understand why we should take Luffy because he’s our blood family, but you two--” he gestured towards Ace and Sabo. “-- have your own families that can take you. Especially you, Sabo. Why do we have to take you?”

“What are you talking about, Mr. Garp?” asked Luffy. “They’re your grandkids, of course, you have to take them.”

“But they’re not.”

“Yes, we are!”

“Wow, I can’t believe you’re not claiming us, Mr. Garp.”

“What, you don’t love your grandchildren?”

Garp just stared at the boys before looking at Dragon. “Dragon, can you try to reason with them?”

Dragon stared at his father with a blank expression. “Why are you denying your grandchildren, Mr. Garp?”

The three boys had to hold back their laughter at that, not expecting for Dragon to join them. Garp just glared daggers at his only child. “Alright, fine, whatever. Forget my question.”

Clearing his throat once again, this time with a smile, Sabo looked at the two. “Any more questions?” 

“I have one,” said Dragon. “Who all worked on what for this presentation?”

“Great question! I worked on making sure the information was all good and proofread before putting it in the slides,” said Sabo. 

“I created the design for the presentation, the handout, and found the pictures,” said Ace.

“And I worked on putting the information into the handout!” finished Luffy. “We all worked on this presentation, can’t you tell?”

Dragon gave his son a small smile. “I can and I’m proud of the three of you.”

The boys went all mushy at the praise, all rubbing the back of their heads. Once they got themselves together, Ace looked at the two men and then at his brothers. “Well, if there are no more questions…” hitting the button for a final time, a picture of the three boys holding up a peace sign with the drawn on Mickey Mouse ears popped up. “Thank you for listening to our presentation” And with that, the three boys bowed their heads. 

Standing up straight, Luffy gave the two men a cheeky grin. “So,” he began. “Can we go to Disney World?”   
  


Garp and Dragon shared a look. Dragon shrugged his shoulders and Garp sighed. “Since you boys put in a lot of work, I guess we can.” The boys cheered loudly, hugging each other tightly. “However!” they stopped, looking at Garp. “Sabo and Ace, your parents would have to pay for you to go. I don’t mind the two of you coming, but only if you can pay your way there. Luffy, we’ll cover for you. And it won’t be until you graduate. Which means you have to maintain good grades or else you won’t go. Got it?”

The boys shared a look before looking back at Garp with a nod. “Then it’s settled, our family will be going to Disney World.” The three boys continued cheering before throwing themselves on top of Garp and Dragon. Garp couldn’t help but smile as he brought Sabo and Ace closer to him while Dragon rubbed the top of his son’s head. 


	2. a day in my life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> today's not sunday for me but because i'm going to be on the road all day, i decided to post it now! enjoy!

“Vivi, did you do the homework?”

The bluenette looked up at the two boys who stood before here, hope shining in their eyes. It was another day where the two forgot to do an assignment, most likely, something that the princess has gotten used to since meeting the duo. With a smile, she opened her green notebook to their math assignment. “Of course I did, here you go.”

The two boys looked like they were ready to kiss her but didn’t as they sat their own bags down and pulled out their notebooks. They had ten minutes before the homeroom bell was to ring. Which meant ten minutes to quickly do their assignment. Expecting to see blank sheets in their notebooks, Vivi was surprised to see that the two boys had done their work. 

“Oh,” she said. “You did the homework?”

Usopp smirked at that, giving her a wink. “Of course we did. We always do our work.”

“No you don’t,” she said, causing the boy to crack. “Whenever we have math homework to do, the two of you always come to me because you didn’t do it.” Usopp began to pout as he went back to looking at the other’s work. “But you’ve already done it, why do you need to look at mine?”

“To make sure that my answers are right,” answered Luffy, not once looking up from the sheet. He was rather focused on the assignment before him, more focused than Vivi has seen him. “Gotta get good grades.”

“What, did you get a D in a class?” Vivi teased. 

“Nope still got my C’s but gramps told me that I gotta get good grades my final year so that he can take me to Disney World.”

Vivi looked at him, surprised. “Good grades and you’ll go to Disney? What are you, a kid?” 

“Yeah, a kid who’s gramps is gonna pay for him to go to Disney,” he said with a serious tone. “Do you understand how much it costs to go there? I didn’t know until Sabo found out and man, I couldn’t believe my eyes!”

Not only was Vivi just staring at the boy but so was Usopp. The two were completely shocked by how serious Luffy was. “Wait, you weren’t kidding about trying to get good grades?” Usopp asked.

“Why would I kid about this?”

“I don’t know! You just sounded so serious on the phone last night so I thought you were just kidding.”

“Why would I kid around about something so serious as Disney World?”

His yelling caused Usopp to shrink back in fear and for Vivi to laugh. “Wow, Luffy,” she said. “You really are a kid. Getting worked up about going to Disney World.” She stopped laughing as she rested her chin in her hand. “What’s so special about it? You have Disneyland here in California. It’s basically the same thing, right?”

This caused Luffy to look up from his work with a frown on his face. “Vivi, are you an idiot or something? No, the two are not the same thing. Disney World is--” 

Before he could finish talking, the bell rang and the teacher walked through the door. Quickly, the three put away their homework and sat down in their seats properly. Giving his friend one final glance, Luffy said, “I’ll just send you our PowerPoint. You’ll understand what I’m talking about.”

Vivi only nodded her head, a smile still on her face. Their teacher began to do roll call, all of the students saying “here” when their names were said. Awaiting for their names to be said, the three students sat there patiently, eyes up ahead and phones put away. What none of them realized was that a message was sent in their Groupchat. A message from Sanji. 

Sexy Mr. Prince: ALRIGHT WHICH ONE OF YOU FUCKERS JUST CALL VIVI AN IDIOT???

. . . 

Their day was almost done, only three more periods to go. Then they were free to either go home, go to practice, or to a club meeting. As of now, it was lunchtime for the trio. Sitting at their usual table with their trays full of food, they talked about random things. Such as their weekends, Luffy’s PowerPoint, classes, upcoming school events, and more. It wasn’t until two others set their trays down that the trio looked up. 

“Hey Kaya, Chopper. What took you two so long?”

Kaya gave the trio a smile as she sat down beside Usopp and Chopper next to her and Vivi on his other side. “We were helping Ms. Marianne with cleaning up the Art room. A lot of people just left without even trying to clean up their mess.”

Chopper nodded his head in agreement as he opened his salad bowl container. “It was incredibly rude of them. They’re all in high school and yet, they act like children.”

“Well, that’s what happens when you wait till the last minute to take an Art class. Now you have to deal with the freshmen.” Placing a fry in her mouth, Vivi watched as the two friends frown a bit. She knew that it wasn’t entirely their fault that they waited until the last minute to take Art. “But I’m sure Ms. Marianne is grateful to have the two of you in her class. She needs some good students to help calm her nerves.” 

“Yeah and be lucky that you have Ms. Marianne as your teachers,” came in Usopp. “We had Mr. Galdino and he was a hard ass.” Just talking about the teacher sent shivers down his spine. 

“What, but I liked Mr. Galdino!” chimed in Luffy with a grin. “He was a funny guy, especially with his hair. It looked like the number three.” The memory of his previous Art teacher caused the boy to laugh loudly. 

The four others shared a look before looking back at Luffy. None of them wanted to tell the other that the old Art teacher was not a fan of Luffy because of his destructive and wild nature. It didn’t help that he was close to Ace and Sabo who also caused the teacher problems for their similar personalities. It was rumored that Mr. Galdino left high school and went to the nearby middle school instead because of the three. But that was a rumor. It couldn’t have been true. 

Right?

“Whoa, why are there so many messages in the group chat?” came from Chopper who pulled his phone from his pocket. “What happened while I was in class?”

“Oh, that,” said Usopp who had to hit Luffy’s hand from taking his lunch. “Sanji’s sixth sense kicked in this morning. He said that he felt that someone had called Vivi an idiot.” He rolled his eyes at that. “Luffy said that it was him which caused Sanji to go on this endless rant. Zoro finally put an end to it by kicking him out of the Groupchat. It didn’t last long because he started blowing up my phone to add him back. Once I did, he kicked Zoro out who then got added back by Luffy. Then the two of them got into a big argument in the Groupchat until Nami kicked them out.”

Chopper nodded his head, eyes on the group chat as he read the messages. Kaya and Vivi were looking at the other boy’s phone, amazed by what was going on. It wasn’t until Vivi and Kaya started laughing that caused the three boys to look up. “What are you laughing at?” asked Usopp.

“Your group chat name--” Kaya couldn’t even finish the sentence as she laughed. 

Vivi was the one who finished the sentence as she was laughing. “T-the Mugiwara Pirates b-but S-sexy?”

At the mentioning of their group chat name, Luffy gave the duo a sheepish smile. “You like it? I changed it because it’s almost Halloween.”

“But wouldn’t spooky or spoopy work better?”

“It’s a joke. Ya’ know because there’s a lot of sexy Halloween costumes out? We decided that it would be hilarious if our group chat name resembled that. Chopper, show them our group chat names!”

Doing as the other said, Chopper showed the two girls the names of everyone in their group chat. At the sight of them, the girls laughed loudly, not caring if others looked at them. It was just the sight before them was hilarious. 

Sexy Archaeologist, Sexy Carpenter (robot emoji), Sexy Doctor (pink heart emoji), (crown emoji) Sexy Mr. Prince (crown emoji), Sexy Navigator (kissing emoji), The Sexy God Sniper!!!!, The Sexy Musician, Your Sexy Captain (laughing emoji), and Roronoa Zoro. 

“Why isn’t Zoro’s name changed?” asked Kaya. 

“Most likely because he forgot to change it after getting added back,” answered Usopp who wasn’t paying close attention to his food because like the food thief he is, Luffy took some of his fries. Fortunately, he was caught. “Stop that Luffy! If you want more food, go buy more.”

“I don’t want to. I’m lazy!”

“Sounds like a you problem.”

The other three didn’t pay much attention to the two boys, they were used to their behavior after all. Instead, they were still looking at the names. “But why are you all ‘sexy’ “? What prompted this?” asked Vivi.

“When we were hanging out with Usopp in his car, he had music playing. And then a song from a musical came on that talked about Halloween. One of the lines talked about a sexy pirate--”

“The musical is Mean Girls and the song is ‘Sexy’.” interrupted Usopp who was still trying to protect his lunch from Luffy.

“Yeah, that song!” Chopper said, slowly remembering the song. “We were all laughing because of that line and then decided that ‘sexy’ was going to be our October theme.”

The two girls had stopped laughing and were smiling down at the younger boy. “I think it’s cute that you all have themes and change your nicknames in your groupchat,” said Vivi. “Koza refuses to do that. Everyone else can change their names all they want but he’ll never join in. How boring.” she sighed at that point. “I blame him going away to college for doing that to him.”

“Speaking of Koza, how’s he doing?” Kaya asked, shifting the attention. “He’s in his last year at school, right?”

Vivi nodded her head. “He’s currently away in the UK for the semester. Doing a study abroad trip for school.” She then began to frown. “Then he’ll one more semester left here before he goes back home.”

Her change of mood and tone caused the others to all look at her, Usopp and Luffy pausing their fight. They all knew of how much Koza meant to Vivi, they knew that the two decided to live in the states as foreign exchange students and to study in America. Leaving behind their families until they were adults. So to know that Koza was to leave Vivi soon and how that affected the other did not surprise them. 

Noticing the shift in the mood, Vivi quickly put on a smile as she waved her hand. “But no need to worry. I’ll see him soon enough. He said that he’s coming back to California for winter break, so that's exciting.”

Following Vivi’s example, they all dropped the topic, not wanting to push it if their friend wasn’t going to do the same. Instead, they all talked about classes and continued to eat until the bell signaled for lunch to be over. At that point, they all went their separate ways until school was over officially. 

. . . 

“Are you walking home, Luffy?” 

Closing his locker, Luffy looked over at Chopper. The other boy was set and ready to go home. “Nope, Iva is picking me up today. We’re gonna hang out for a bit. What, did you want a ride home?”

Chopper shook his head. “I don’t mind walking home, I wouldn’t want to impose on your time with Iva.”

He nodded his head as the two made their way out of the school. The others were nowhere to be seen, most likely because of their after school obligations. Usopp with Drama rehearsal, Vivi with student council business, and Kaya with whatever she did. Wait a minute. “Don’t you have an academic team meeting today?”

“Not today, this is our day off before we have a meet tomorrow. Why do you ask?”

“Because I don’t see Kaya and she’s usually there with you,” Luffy answered. 

“Didn’t you hear? Kaya signed up to volunteer at the nearby middle school.”

“Wow, how cool!” Luffy said loudly. “She’s becoming like Robin, huh?”

That caused Chopper to giggle. “Yeah, it does remind me of Robin.”

Once the two boys were outside, Luffy saw Iva’s car waiting for him. “There’s Iva. I’ll talk to you tonight, Chopper.” 

The two boys waved bye to each other as Luffy headed for the car and Chopper made his way home. Once inside the car, Luffy tossed his bag in the back and smiled up at Ivankov, his father’s best friend. Ivankov gave him a smile as he playfully pushed on Luffy’s head, making the younger boy laugh. “Well, well, if it isn’t the PowerPoint kid.”

“Dad told you?”

“Of course he told me, he even sent me a picture of the handout!” Ivankov laughed loudly as he started driving away from the school. “You three put in so much work for a PowerPoint about Disney World. I’m impressed.”

“Well of course we did, we’re very serious about this.” 

“I bet. He even told me about the deal that you made with Garp. Gotta get good grades, huh?”

“Easy peasy lemon squeezy.” Ivankov laughed even harder. “Trust me, Iva, I can do this. I’m the son of Monkey D. Dragon, which means I’m smart just like him.”

Ivankov's laughter turned into coughing. He didn’t say anything else about Dragon or Luffy’s intelligence, the other didn’t even question him either. The younger boy took his silence as if the older one agreed with him. He then began to talk about his day at school as Ivankov drove away from the high school. All was well. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here are some headcanons and little facts about the characters:
> 
> \- luffy, usopp, kaya, and vivi are all seniors while chopper is currently a junior  
> \- usopp is apart of the drama club, vivi is the president of the student council, and chopper and kaya are apart of the school's academic team  
> \- yes, the gang has a group chat and yes, they have themes depending on the time of year  
> \- yes usopp is a theatre kid who proudly listens to mean girls
> 
> more headcanons will come as i post more chapters.


	3. dragon's tale birthday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another early update because i'm going to be out of town today and tomorrow. by next sunday, i'll be able to update regularly. tw for slight mentioning of homophobia.

Placing the cake down on the table, Sanji smiled at his handiwork. It was a rather simple cake, vanilla blue and white frosting. On top were candles and a message. “You’re Old, Dragon!” and the numbers 37. He was glad that Luffy specifically asked for him to make the cake, even if he didn’t have a lot of time with school. Even so, he took on the task and even helped the family with making the food for the party. And by _family_ he meant _Garp_ because they couldn’t trust Luffy in the kitchen. 

The two had to force Luffy to go with Sabo and Ace to get decorations for the house. At first, he tried to reason with Sanji to let him stay, and even tried to text Usopp to help him (the other told him no, that he wouldn’t help with pressuring Sanji which he was thankful for). It wasn’t until Garp literally threw him out of the house that the two were able to work. 

“I thank you, Sanji,” came from the older man as he put the roast in the oven. “The one who typically cooks around here is Dragon and he can’t help us with today’s task.”

“Anytime, gramps. You know that I’m always down to help when it comes to cooking.” Well, that was mainly for his friends. And because Luffy was one of his best friends, he immediately accepted the request. “And it’s fine if I stay here for the party?”

“Of course it is, you made the food for us after all. And you’re family!” The older man laughed loudly and Sanji smiled at his laugh. The same laugh that Luffy had and what Sanji imagined that Dragon had. Though the older man didn’t seem like the type who laughed, he was a Monkey D. Loud laughter was in his blood. 

Ten minutes later, Sabo, Ace, and Luffy all walked through the door with bags filled with decorations and party hats. The five then began putting decorations up around the house. There were even posters that Ace made for games. Pin the Tail on the Dragon / Did Dragon commit that crime? / Is that Dragon or Garp? / and more. He even made prizes for the games. “No matter your age, you always need party games,” he told all of them as he crossed his arms with a pretentious look. That only caused the three boys around his age to laugh and for Garp to “softly” punch his arm. 

Once decorations were up, people started showing up. They were mainly Dragon’s friends from work; Kuma, Inazuma, Hack, Terry Gilteo, and more. Even Nico Robin was there, yes! 

“Hello, Sanji,” she said to the younger boy who gave her the heart eyes. “I didn’t know you were going to be here.”

“Why of course, I am! I’m the one who made the food.”

She smiled at him. “Should’ve known.” And with that, she walked away to get a party hat from Luffy. 

It was nearing six when the house was ready, food was done, and the guest was all inside. Now, they just had to wait for the man himself. Apparently Ivankov was on “Dragon” duty as the two were leaving from someplace together. When Garp sent the text to Ivankov, he received a thumbs up as a response, the other confirming that they were coming. 

At the sound of a car in the driveway, everyone braced themselves for Dragon’s entrance, all excited to surprise him. Lights were turned off and everyone got down, ready to pop up. It happened suddenly as Dragon opened the door and turned on the lights. Streamers and confetti went flying as they all yelled "surprise" and "happy birthday". Luffy was the first one to run up to his father, attempting to put a birthday hat on the taller man. It was Ivankov who did it for him. 

Games were played, food was eaten, and presents were given out. Ivankov did a special drag performance for Dragon who simply rolled his eyes at his best friend. Luffy, Sabo, and Ace had created a presentation about Dragon for everyone. It included all of his info, old pictures, his accomplishments, and even quotes from those who were close to him. The main one that stood out to everyone was the quote from Garp. 

"A fucking rascal who caused a lot of problems for me when he was a kid. But he was fighting for what was right and that's the only thing that matters. Whenever he was in jail, it was because he was doing it to help others. And I'm proud of him for that." 

When seeing his quote, Dragon looked over at his father with a small smile. "Thank you, dad."

"Yeah, yeah, don't get all mushy in front of others like a little bitch." Despite his almost harsh words, the older man had a smile on his face. 

Once the trio was done with the presentation, it was open for others to share stories about Dragon. Garp and Ivankov were the main ones sharing stories, as they knew more about Dragon than the others. Most of the stories were about Dragon when he was younger, about how he was always getting in trouble with the law. Having to be taken to the police station, getting in trouble for fighting, or how he didn’t respect authority. Of course, all of this was because Dragon was trying to help others. 

“I still remember when Dragon punched some bully who was picking on me for being gay,” said Ivankov. “So being the ally that he is, Dragon stood up and punched the guy right in his jaw, causing him to fall straight on his ass." They all laughed and cheered, Dragon just shaking his head but keeping eye contact with his best friend. "That was also the first time we met each other and became best friends. He stood up for me, a kid he barely knew but still helped. And I thank you for that." Ivankov began to sniffle, tears welling up in his eyes. This caused Dragon to stand up and hug his friend. Everyone awed at this. 

Next was Garp. He stood up behind his son and gave him a light punch to the head, his usual grin on his face. "There are too many stories to share about you because you were a fucking shithead as a kid. I do remember the day that we had a serious talk when you were 17," he began. "You got arrested again for joining in a violent protest with those white protesters." Garp rolled his eyes. "They all got away without a problem or their folks were able to get them by bribing someone. But you, your fate was different because you're not white. Because of your skin and identity, you would've faced harsh treatment if I hadn't been able to get you out. So I had to tell this idiot to really think about these protests. 

I'm proud of you for wanting to help others and fight for what is right, but you can't do that locked up. You really have to think about what you look like to the law because it'll cause you issues in the future. You can't be like these white kids, no offense to the ones here." The few just shrugged and smiled at Garp, understanding what he meant. "And after that, you shaped up and really thought about things. You stayed out of trouble, went to school, kept fighting for what's right, and look at you now. A big figurehead in the social justice world. Fighting for health care, gay rights, and other shit. And I am proud to call you my stupid ass son."

Cheering followed as Garp messed up Dragon's hair, causing strands to stand up in different places. 

Others shared stories, more current ones, until the party began to calm down. Everyone took spots around the living room, talking to each other. Sanji and Luffy sat at the kitchen table, Luffy stuffing himself with his fourth piece of cake and Sanji just looking around. He enjoyed the party, happy to be invited even though he wasn't the closest with Dragon but he still enjoyed the festivities. 

"I've always known your dad was cool but I didn't know he was that cool," said Sanji. "To think, the calmest adult that I know was actually a troublemaker growing up. Now I can understand how he's your father."

Luffy just laughed at that, cake still in his mouth. "Dad is pretty cool huh?" Their eyes wandered over to the older man who was quietly talking to Robin in the corner. "When gramps told me those old stories, I didn't believe them at first. My dad? A little punk who got into a bunch of fights? That didn't sound right to kid me."

"I bet. It sounds like something your gramps would do growing up." The two boys laughed at that. Sanji then changed the subject. "Nice PowerPoint, by the way, I heard that's your new thing."

"It is! Did Usopp tell you about my Disney one?"

"He did and he told me the deal with your gramps. Gotta get something better than those C's, huh?"

"Of course! By the end of this year, I will get all B's!"

Sanji smiled at this younger friend. The boy was rather childish and had a one-track mind but he also knew that when Luffy was passionate about something, he would do everything he could to accomplish it. Their conversation then went to Sanji talking about culinary school, sharing an apartment with Zoro (which was hell apparently but Luffy knew that was utter shit since the two boys were basically best friends), Zoro's upcoming performance, and also Usopp's. 

"This is the first time where Usopp's set design will be used for a show," Sanji said proudly, though Luffy already knew that. "He sent me pictures of his sketches and the progress of the actual thing, I'm so excited for him." 

"Oh yeah, he talked a lot about it when I was over at his place," Luffy said, now on piece number five. "I sent some pictures to Zoro and he said that he's proud of him."

"If only Usopp had designed the set for Seaweed's last high school show, that would've been great."

The two boys nodded their heads in agreement, both thinking about the idea of the two boys being able to collaborate on a show together. How nice it would've been to see their respective best friends working together, it made them happy on the inside and hurts flutter a bit. 

"So Zoro's show next week and then Usopp's the week after? God, we're going to be crazy busy these next two weeks." Sanji sighed but he wasn't annoyed at all. He was excited for the two and supporting his friends, especially the younger ones. 

"We should get them flowers!" burst out Luffy. "Theatre kids like that shit, right?"

Sanji nodded his head, remembering seeing others getting flowers for those in shows. "Then let’s do that. We’ll make it a group thing.”

“Then we can get dinner after their shows!”

“We can do that too.”

The boys' conversation continued before Sabo and Ace joined them. Laughter filled the room. Everyone was content. 

As it grew dark out, the guests all slowly began to leave. Each person wishing Dragon a happy birthday and to see him later. Luffy had clunk out on the couch, head resting on the arm of the couch as he snored loudly. Sanji, Sabo, and Ace all helped Garp with cleaning up around the house before leaving themselves. It was all the Monkey D. family left in their own home. 

Garp yawned just as Dragon ran his fingers through his son’s hair. “I’m going to bed. Goodnight Dragon and happy birthday.” Then the older man went up the stairs to his room, leaving behind the father and son. 

Dragon’s eyes were on Luffy, a smile on his face. Today had been a fun day. With Ivankov taking him on a joy ride, the party that planned, and all of his friends there to enjoy it with him. He was grateful to have so many loving and supportive people in his life. 

Heading to the closet, he brought back a pillow and blanket for Luffy. Gently and carefully, he made his son comfortable on the couch. The younger boy continued to sleep soundly, not having a problem with sleeping on the couch. 

Running his fingers through Luffy’s hair and then turning the lights off, Dragon bid his son goodnight and went to rest himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- did you know that dragon's birthday is october 5th? in my mind, he's like 40 in this instead of in his 50's.  
> \- for sure dragon beat up bullies for ivankov, thus the start of their friendship  
> \- the monkey d. family is not white, they are a beautiful brown, a family full of those from brazil  
> \- the ships have been posted  
> \- i'm debating on making a fic about dragon called "dragon tales". it'll be about a young dragon who got in trouble as a teen for standing up for people but also hits on a bit of racism.  
> \- next week will have even more headcanons that are very in-depth


	4. a day in their lives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the late update! i started school again and this chapter took so long (it's literally 11 pages). enjoy reading this from the perspective of the other crew members. also, to help you with the days of the week while reading this:  
>  \- nami and zoro: monday  
>  \- franky and robin: tuesday  
>  \- chopper and brook: wednesday  
>  \- usopp and sanji: thursday
> 
> and of course, check down below for some headcanons

**Nami**

It was a lecture hall filled with 100 other students and one professor with a thick accent. There were times when it was hard to understand him and the students will snicker and make fun of the older man for it, but she never did. Instead, Nami sat there in the second row, listening carefully to the men. Whenever he would write something on the whiteboard or say anything that was important, she would quickly type it on her laptop. She was most likely the only person in the entire lecture who was actually paying attention to the class. This was, unfortunately, a 100 level based class that was open for non-majors to take. So of course, it would be filled with first years like herself who were only taking the class because they needed the science credit. 

Once the time was up for class, everyone started to pack up, not even caring to listen to the last few things their professor had to say. Nami stayed still, trying to listen to the older man as others spoke over him. Realizing that his students were no longer listening, their professor stopped and began to erase the writing from the whiteboard. Packing up now, the eighteen-year-old, put her bag over her back and went to her professor. 

“God, I don’t know how you can be so calm, Mr. Haredas,” said Nami, a frown on her face as she watched her classmates leave from the class. “They don’t even listen when you’re teaching! You should fail all of them.”

Haredas only laughed at what his student said, his attention going to his laptop that had the slideshow up. “This happens in a 100 level course, Nami,” he told her. “I expect to have students who don’t listen, the same way I expect to have students like yourself.”

She wanted to say more, to continue insulting the students but kept her mouth shut. Haredas has been teaching at this university for years and most likely other places as well. He was used to students like that, nothing he could do to change it. 

“I’m going to post the slideshow to the Canvas site,” he began to say, now packing up his own belongings. “If they need the slideshow, then they can look at it online. I’m sure that’s what they all plan on doing.” 

Nami could only hum, not liking but understanding. The two then began their walk out of the classroom. “They’re all so lucky to have a professor like you, Mr. Haredas. If I were their professor, I wouldn’t be so nice. I would call on random people and ask them questions. If they get it wrong, I would charge them.”

Haredas laughed at her. “Nami, I believe that’s illegal.”

“Who cares. It’ll teach them some respect.”

The professor just continued to laugh at his student and Nami joined in as well. Out of all of her professors, she had a great connection with Haredas. It was only her first semester there but the younger girl already knew that he was an adult that she could look up to. Other than her mother of course. 

“Well, I must be off. I have office hours to get to. See you on Wednesday, Nami.”

Waving bye, the two walked in the opposite direction of each other. Pulling out her phone, Nami went straight to her text messages and seeing a notification from one of her friends. 

From  **Broadway Dipshit**

(11:54 AM) I got us a table when you get here. 

To  **Broadway Dipshit**

Cool, here I come (11: 57 AM)

Closing out of the app, she then went ahead to check on her other messages as she made her way to the cafeteria.

**Zoro**

“Everyone is planning on seeing your show on Friday,” said Nami from beside him. The two had just got done with lunch and were heading to their next class, which they had together. “We’re all excited to see you have your big college debut and as Romeo? Impressive.” She shoved him lightly with a chuckle and he just smiled. 

He too was proud of himself for getting the lead. He wasn’t expecting, not as a sophomore that is. There were upperclassmen who thought were for sure going to get the part and was ready to congratulate them. Until he saw his name on the call board then everything changed and they were congratulating  _ him _ . “Thanks,” he told his friend. “I think there’s a party happening after that show. You all can come.”

“You sure? Isn’t the party just for people apart of the shows?”

Zoro shook his head. “Nah, it’s open to everyone. Just bring your own alcohol if you’re going to drink.” 

“It’s a good thing that I have a fake and can get us alcohol.” The two laughed as they entered the building. “How’s tech going?”

“It’s awful, like always.” While he loved acting, tech week was the worst part. Especially the first day when they’re introducing the tech members. “But we’re getting through. It’s a lot different than what you would’ve expected from Romeo and Juliet.” 

“Really? How so?” 

Opening the classroom door, Zoro held it open for his friend. “I’m not going to tell you that. You’ve gotta see it and find out.”

Nami rolled her eyes as she walked into the classroom, heading for their seats. “I should charge you for saying that to me.”

He only laughed but knew for sure she wasn’t joking. The younger girl was mostly adding this to the money that she owes him. Taking a seat, the two got out their respective laptops and waited for the professor to walk in and start class. 

  
  


**Franky**

Pulling the helmet from his head, Franky looked up at his brother, sweat running down his face. “How was that?” 

Iceburg was looking down at the stopwatch, eyes wide. “You’re getting a lot faster,” he said and the younger man screamed in happiness. “You should be ready for the next competition.” 

“Super~” the younger man did his notorious pose that caused his brother to roll his eyes. “I’m hoping to practice a lot today and tomorrow.”

This sparked confusion for the older man. “You’re not practicing on Saturday? Is something happening?”

“Zoro has a show on Friday and we all decided to go there to support him. Then I was going to hang out with Robin afterward.”

His brother nodded his head. “I see.” He then put the stopwatch into his pocket. “Speaking of Robin, how are things going with her?”

“Things have been super~ Every day with her is like a dream come true.” 

“I bet. Still don’t know how someone smart like Robin ended up with a man-child like yourself.” 

Franky didn’t take too well to this brother’s joke, glaring at the older man and punching him on the arm. “I’m not a man-child! I just know how to have fun, unlike an old man like you.” 

At this point, the two older men began to bicker and poke fun at each other, taking zero offense to whatever the other had to say. It wasn’t like they were going to say anything that would hurt the other person. Not again, not like what happened when they were children. Now they were adults and had to grow up. And with growing up meant talking and maturing. 

Their bickering turned into laughs, jokes, and talk about Franky’s upcoming competition. The two were excited about what was going to happen in the next month, not only for the bluenette but also for his friends. It looks like October was going to be a busy month for everyone.

**Robin**

It was nice for Robin to be back, especially with her working for so long. Attending Dragon’s party and seeing friends had been a great way to welcome her back to the states. Despite her desire to sleep after being on the plane for so long two days prior, she still accepted the invitation and pushed herself through it all. 

But that wasn’t the best part about being back, there was also seeing her group of friends. It always hurt her seeing their messages about hanging out or group pictures that they would put into the groupchat or even the pictures they would post on Instagram. The older woman wished that she was with them, going to the movies, bowling alley, or just having a random photoshoot. Unfortunately, work required her to be on the other side of the world and for almost three months. 

Three months' worth of meetups at the Going Merry Cafe missed.

Three months' worth of random photoshoots missed.

Three months' worth of dates with Franky missed. 

Franky. 

The one person she desperately wanted to see while she was away. Who’s arms that she missed. His loud snoring, his soft blue hair, his speedos that he would randomly wear around the apartment, and the sound of his motorcycle. 

She missed all of it. 

But now Robin was back and could experience all of that once again. 

Having Franky beside her, going on dates, having photoshoots with friends, and getting coffee at the Going Merry Cafe. With her back in town, she was able to hang out once again before having to leave for work. Which included seeing Zoro and Usopp’s shows. 

At the thought of their shows, Robin set down the book that she was reading and picked up her laptop. Knowing her colleagues, they would try to schedule a meeting with her if there is an open slot in her Google calendar. This meant that she should put down the dates of the two boys’ shows so that others would know that she was busy. 

As she was setting up the event on Google calendar, the front door to the apartment opened. “I’m home,” came the voice of her lover from behind her. She didn’t look back or really respond except for the small hum. A kiss was placed on top of her head as Franky walked passed the couch, heading to the bedroom. “Working already?”

“No, just updating my calendar,” Robin answered, finishing up the task. “Knowing the others, they would try to have a video chat with me if they notice that I’m free.”

Muffled chuckling could be heard. “Remember when they tried to video chat you during our anniversary?”

Robin smiled a bit at the memory. It was the one time that she allowed Franky to update her Google calendar, as she was busy with other tasks. Unfortunately, the other updated the wrong calendar, thus making it looked like she was free. As the two were in the middle of a movie date in their apartment, their movie was interrupted as the notification about a video chat popped up on her laptop. 

“I blame my secretary for that mistake,” Robin teased as the other entered the living room once again. “Maybe I should get someone else to update my calendars. Maybe Iceburg, I think he would be a better secretary than you.”

“You want that old fart as your secretary? He doesn’t even know how to work a computer.”

“And you do?”

“Of course I do, you little…” 

At this point, the two are on the couch, play fighting and laughing loudly. Once their commotion had settled down, they found themselves holding on tightly to each other, happy to be back together. “I’m glad that you’re back,” Franky said to Robin, head buried in her hair. 

Robin smiled. “I’m glad to be back.”

**Chopper**

“What is that supposed to be?”

Chopper looked away, eyes wandering around the room as he refused to look at what his teacher was referring to. Because he didn’t want to admit to his mistake, admit that he was bad at something and that even he didn’t know what it was. Maybe if he didn’t answer her, the teacher would just move on and leave it at that. Taking his silence as an answer and moving on to the next student. But she didn’t, she kept standing beside him, waiting for the other to answer. Showing that she could wait all day. 

Crap. 

Eyes going down to his hands, the younger boy began to pick at his fingernails. A nasty habit that he acquired. He didn’t realize how bad it was until their group had a sleepover and the girls wanted to have a spy day with nail painting. He got pink nail polish that he was so happy to have. After a day, the nail polish had been chipped away because of his habit. He felt bad for ruining his friend’s hard work. 

“Chopper?” Crap, she was still waiting for him to answer. 

“U-um,” he croaked out. “It’s the assignment…” 

“I figured as much,” came her reply. “I’m asking what it’s supposed to be?”

“A-art?”

Giggling could be heard in front of him, most likely from Kaya who most likely found this situation hilarious. Well, she wouldn’t be laughing if she was in Chopper’s position! Though, if this was happening to her, he probably would’ve laughed too. 

Ms. Marianne hummed as a response, still studying the project resting on the table. “It’s an interesting type of art, I’ll give you that. It also tells me a bit about yourself.” Wait for what? “While it doesn’t look aesthetically pleasing, it does have some charm to it. For instance, you worked hard to try and recreate-- are those antlers?” He nodded his head. “Antlers in a very specific way. Yes, they are bigger than the animal's head but it’s most likely because you worked on this first and then the rest of the body.

“You tried to start from the top up huh?” He nodded again. “I can tell. There’s nothing wrong with that, please do not panic.” Too late, he was already panicking. “There’s no right way to do art so you didn’t do anything wrong. Your art skills simply reflect who you are as a person.”

“What, that I’m not good at art?” he said in almost a whisper, instantly regretting it. “I’m sorry Ms. Marianne, I’m just no good when it comes to art. I’m the brainiac who’s going to become a doctor in the future. Not some artist.” 

Ms. Marianne goes silent, even Kaya stops her giggling. Their silence didn’t make him feel any better as he shrunk into his seat. It wasn’t until Ms. Marianne lowered herself to where the two were making eye contact. “Chopper, I have a question for you,” she began. “Have you seen works by famous artists?”

“I have and they look amazing.”

“Well, sure, but they’re also so freaking weird. Everyone makes up some interpretations of the pieces, no one really able to come to a common ground about the meaning. Only the artist themselves known the meaning behind their pieces, after all, they were the ones to make them.” Standing up, Ms. Marianne picked up the clay sculpture with care, Chopper raising his head to watch her. “For those artists who we look up to today, there are times that we find their pieces weird or strange. But for them, they believe that their pieces are a work of art and take pride in them. So, you should do the same.”

Setting the sculpture down, she smiled gently at Chopper. “While it doesn’t look like a normal reindeer, whatever that is, it’s something that you worked hard on. So, take pride in your art.” 

Before he could say anything else, the bell rang. The other students started to pack up, ready to leave without cleaning their mess but Ms. Marianne stopped them. “None of you are leaving until you clean up! Chopper and Kaya were the only ones to help me yesterday so they can leave early, the rest of you will clean up.” 

This caused the other students to groan and curse their art teacher as they began to help with cleaning. Chopper just stood there, watching the older woman, not at all paying mind to his friend who tried to get him to get his belongings so that they can leave. “H-how did you know that it was a reindeer? I thought that you didn’t know.”

“I just wasn’t sure,” she said with a shrug. “Now get out of here before I force you to start cleaning too.” 

Nodding his head, Chopper picked up his belongings and set his sculpture down next to the others. Following Kaya, the two left the art room for the cafeteria. His mood had changed for the better after Ms. Marianne could tell what his sculpture was. A reindeer with big antlers, a medium-sized head, and a small body. And on its head was a hat, a pink one that he used pink clay for. A hat that reminded that looked like the hat that belonged to his adopted father. 

Something that he loved a lot. 

**Brook**

Sometimes, Brook wondered why he came back to his old neighborhood. After graduating high school, he went to college on the other side of the country, find New York City as a great place that he would one day live in until he was old. And everything was going great too. He met some fantastic people, a collab with a bunch of people when it came to music, and gained some New York City fame. Life was good. 

But then he left it behind. Two years after he graduated, he packed his bags and moved back to California. This shouldn’t have been a problem, California was bigger and better when it came to music. Yet, he didn’t come back for music. 

He came back for something else. 

His fingers glided across the piano keys, playing a sweet melody that fit the small cafe. The customers chatted quietly, none of them wanting to break the sweet sound of Brook’s playing. Some even stayed silently, even if they were there with another person. They would just sit at their table and drink their beverage, enjoying the atmosphere. 

This was a common thing at the Going Merry Cafe. People didn’t just come for the delicious sweets and drinks but also for the fantastic musician. A man who could play any instrument without a problem, a talented man who could become famous if he were to try. Many of them even offered to help him create an Instagram dedicated to music, saying that he could become big in no time. 

However, each time someone would ask, Brook would kindly decline and just go back to playing his piano. After that, the customers would stop trying to get him to accept his offer and just accept that he would just stay at the cafe. Which wasn’t a problem. At that point, they wouldn’t have to lose their favorite pianist. 

He too wondered why he never accepted their offer. After all, he always dreamed of becoming rich and famous when he was a child. That was the whole point of going to school in New York. To get away from his small town and California. Try something new and gain fame like that before coming back. 

But that didn’t happen. He came back earlier than intended and he wasn’t playing music to become famous. Instead, he found himself back at this cafe and piano that he has grown to love since he was five. The first-ever piano that he played, the first-ever instrument that helped him realize his dreams. 

That was one reason why he came back. Because Brooke missed this cafe and piano. It was something about this place that made him feel right at home and at peace. No matter how many pianos that he played in New York City, none of them was this piano. Nor were any of the coffee shops were like this shop. 

None of it was the same. 

And of course, there was the other reason why Brook came back. 

The bell chimed, signaling the workers that more customers were coming. Any other group of customers would’ve been silent, knowing that the musician was playing. But not this group, they came in laughing, clapping, and talking. Their noise ruined the other patron’s peace and quiet but not the musician. He didn’t have to look up to see who it was. 

“Wow, Brook, you’re so amazing!”

“God, I wished that I could play the piano.” 

“Fun fact: I can easily play the piano without looking at the keys OR the music notes.”

“Wow, Usopp, you’re so talented!”

“Hey, Brook, can you play chopsticks?”

The older man could only laugh loudly at his friends. Of course, he came back for these youngsters as they were the main ones supporting him through everything. So, for them, he began to play Chopsticks thus causing the straw hat teen to cheer loudly.

**Usopp**

There were two days until the start of tech week for his high school’s production. And he was nervous. Because this was the first time where his set design would be used for a show. His own set design that he worked on for weeks, it was being used! When the drama director asked him and even approved of the entire design, he cried on the spot, catching the other off guard. He was so happy that he told his friends about his achievement in their groupchat, though, he had a hard time typing because of his tears. 

Everyone congratulated him with text messages and gifs. He even got a call from Sanji that night, the two going wild about the news as Usopp cries for a second time that day. 

And now here he was, on a Thursday night, putting any last-minute touches to the set after rehearsal. He had to make sure that there were no loose screws, that all platforms were safe to stand on, and that everything was perfect. It had to be perfect. 

The actors and other crew members had all complimented him for his work. He could feel his head growing as they all told him how nice the platform looked. He only waved them off, not wanting to seem conceited. Though, he was told that it wasn’t conceited to be proud of your work, especially when it was good. 

With one final look, Usopp gave the set a thumbs up before walking off the stage. Everyone else had left, trusting the other to lock up and make sure everything was good. After all, out of the current students apart of the club, he had been there the longest. He joined when he was in the seventh grade, tagging along Zoro and his sister Perona. It was mainly Perona who wanted to join and brought along Zoro and a helpless Usopp. While she didn’t like the club after being a member for a few weeks, the two boys fell in love with it. 

Ever since, the two stayed. Zoro would act and worked to help with fight choreography while Usopp would sometimes act but focused on set design. Before, he would always help out the drama teacher and seniors with their designs, always hoping and dreaming of the day that he would be able to create his own set. 

And then that dream came true! During the beginning of his senior year, he was given the chance to do so and he still couldn’t believe it. This all felt like some weird dream to him. Maybe none of this was real. Maybe he was on a boat with his group of friends, dreaming about this normal life of his where he was given the opportunity to create and build his own set. And when he would wake up, he would have to fight some weird people or even run away from them. 

Nah, that idea was too far fetched. Okay, maybe not the part about him running away, that sounded real to him. 

Lost in his thoughts, the teen almost missed the phone call that he was getting. Scrambling to get the phone from his pocket, he swiped to answer the call, not even checking to see who was calling him at such a late hour. “Hello?”

“Hey,” he relaxed at the familiar voice. “Still at the school?”

“Oh yeah, just finishing up on some things.” He took a step back, giving it one final look. “I think everything is ready to go for tech week.” 

“That’s great.” The other paused, most likely to blow smoke from his mouth. “Hell week for marimo is coming to an end and yours is about to start.”

He laughed at that. He remembered when both he and Zoro would suffer together because of tech week. Now he was all alone. “How’s Zoro doing anyway? I bet college tech week is different than high school tech week.” 

“Rough apparently,” Sanji told him. “His professors outside of his major aren’t too accommodating about assignments so he spends all of his free time doing homework or going over his lines.” Another pause. “Though, I did hear that opening night was spectacular and that a lot of people were impressed by his abilities.” 

Now that was good to hear. “I’m happy for him,” Usopp said. “I’m excited to see him play Romeo.” 

“Oh, get ready. It’s so weird seeing him with black hair and a fucking buzzcut.” He snorted. “The hair color is temporary but the haircut isn’t.” 

He followed suit with laughter, getting stuff together to leave as he continued talking. “Oh man, I can’t wait to see it in person. The pictures aren’t enough.” 

“It’s an experience.” 

They continued talking, mainly about their friend’s hair and show, as Usopp turned the lights off in the auditorium and locked up to head home. By the time that he got into his car, he heard the other yawn. “You know, you don’t have to stay up to wait for us,” he said. “I’m only ten minutes away from home and I’m sure that Zoro will be back in one piece.”

Silence took over again. “Yeah, I know,” Sanji said with a sigh. “I’m just worried. I know how this can be for the two of you.”

“Aw, is someone worried? About me? About their best bud marimo too?”

“Fuck off.” Despite the other words, he just laughed as he turned the car on and started driving. 

“We’ll be fine, Sanji. This is literally our lives, just trust us.” 

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” he agreed just before yawning. “I guess I should get some sleep. Text me when you get home.” 

“Nah, I’m good.” Before the other could say anything, he clicked a button in his car to hang up the call. When he gets home, he’ll for sure text the other. 

**Sanji**

When Usopp hung up on him, he almost called the other back to yell at him before hearing the front door unlock. Stepping back into the apartment from the patio, he watched a very much exhausted Zoro walk and fall onto the couch, face first. 

“Long day?” he asked, receiving groaning as a response. He let out a puff air as a laugh as he walked into the kitchen. Opening the microwave, he pulled out a plate of food before placing it on the wooden table in front of the couch. “Here’s dinner, bitch.” 

Sanji didn’t even wait to hear the other respond or to even watch him eat the food, instead, he made his way to his room and closed the door. He was sure by morning, the plate would be empty and in the sink, that action being how the other said thank you. 

All he needed to do was trust and sleep. By morning, everything would be fine. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> headcanons time!  
>  \- nami is a very supportive friend who has zoro in her phone as "broadway dipshit", she knows that he'll be there, she just knows it  
>  \- also she's studying to become a meteorologist, what a queen  
>  \- and yes she has a fake, zoro does as well   
>  \- zoro is a theatre major who wants to pursue a career in acting and stage combat choreography   
>  \- yeah him and perona are siblings in this, are you surprised  
>  \- this is his college acting debut and ofc it had to be as romeo (okay but a japanese romeo???? we stan)  
>  \- zoro and sanji are roommates who have yet to kill each other (a fucking surprise for me honestly)  
>  \- franky and robin live together and it took everything out of me not to write most of this about their relationship because i love frobin more than anything   
>  \- franky is a professional motorcycle rider which will be explored more later in my frobin fic (oooo)  
>  \- ofc robin is an archaeologist who thrives on her google calendar, that woman LIVES off of that thing  
>  \- it most def has the time when she needs to eat on it   
>  \- chopper is a precious bby who can't do art, there i said it  
>  \- also kaya can't do art either so i don't know why she's laughing  
>  \- brook is just so freaking talented and should always be included  
>  \- maybe i should write a fanfic about brook's adventures in NYC  
>  \- yes going merry is a cafe and yes, it's their hangout  
>  \- it's basically brooke's second home  
>  \- usopp is still a theatre kid who cries constantly but that's not news to anyone  
>  \- sanji is supportive of his theatre friends despite knowing nothing about theatre  
>  \- also sorry that sanji's is very short??? it's just really late at night and this chapter was already getting too long for my taste yeet  
>  \- and hell yeah i made romeo!zoro get a buzzcut. why? idk man, it just felt right
> 
> i will work hard to give you all an update for next week. for now, enjoy and leave some comments!


	5. modern romeo

It was finally Friday and Luffy was buzzing with excitement. Like, he was literally buzzing. Usopp had to tell him to calm down sometimes because of it. He would just be in the middle of class, daydreaming like usual and not paying attention to the lesson. It wasn’t until he realized the date and what was happening later that he would just buzz. Chair shaking that caused his friend to snap at him. 

But he couldn’t help it, he was so happy for Zoro. This was his college debut and as Romeo in  _ Romeo and Juliet _ ! He didn’t know much about  _ Romeo and Juliet _ , or anything Shakespeare. Usopp and Zoro didn’t take too kindly to that, the two found it strange that he knew nothing about Shakespeare. Usopp was shocked as he told the straw hat boy that the two of them read the play during their freshman year of high school. Well jokes on his long-nosed friend because he didn’t read anything for his English classes, so ha!

After the two told him to read the play again, he did so by going to the local library with Sabo and Ace. Ace poked fun at him for not knowing Shakespeare which was stopped by Sabo who exposed Ace. “Ace, name a play by Shakespeare,” he said before stopping the other again. “Something that’s not Romeo and Juliet.” 

The older boy was stumped, cheeks redding as he was exposed. Luffy laughed loudly at him. 

When he found the play, he was ready to read it and figure out the big fuss about this Shakespeare guy. However, only three minutes in and he had no clue what was going on.  _ My naked weapon is out. Quarrel, I will back thee? _ What the fuck did that mean? 

“Does his weapon wear clothes? Why is it naked?” Luffy had asked his brothers; Sabo, laughing uncontrollably at him and Ace trying to explain it, failing if I might add.

He couldn’t do it, he didn’t understand a single word that was being said in the play. How the heck did Zoro and Usopp understand any of this crap? Did this mean that Zoro was going to be saying this during the show? Oh fuck, would Luffy be able to figure out what was going to say? 

Sabo offered that the younger boy read the translation of the play but Luffy shook his head. “No way! If I do that, it’ll look like I’m giving up.” So, with his stubborn might, the straw hat picked up the script and checked it out.

That was in August. It took him almost two months to finish reading the entire script. Sabo and Ace both poked fun and tried to convince him to read the translation but he wasn’t going to. If Usopp and Zoro could read this version then he can too! It would just take him longer as he tried to figure out the meaning behind each line. And to remember which character was talking after so long. And to also not fall asleep while reading it. 

But once he completed the script, only a week before Zoro’s show, he was very much impressed with himself. Now, he would be ready for the older boy’s play and seeing him as Romeo. 

Ooo, he wondered how Zoro would portray Romeo! Would it be cool and suave, or maybe very princely like? He remembered Zoro telling him via Skype that it was going to modern, which made him think that they would be using the modern translation! “Sorry, Luff, we’re still going to use the original script,” came the others honest answer. 

Well shit. 

Actually, no, he could deal with that. He read the script beforehand so that he had an awareness of what was being said. Would he understand any of it? Probably not. Would he still enjoy the performance nevertheless? Of course, he would!

The rest of the day seemed to drag on for him. Classes felt like they were dragging on and every time he would look at a clock, only ten seconds would’ve gone by. He would whine and grumble, turning back to the whiteboard. Usopp only shook his head with a bit of a smile. “Boy, you’re really excited to see Zoro’s show, huh?”

“Of course I am,” whispered Luffy, not wanting to get in trouble with their algebra teacher. “Aren’t you?” 

“I am but your excitement is completely different from my own.” 

The other boy didn’t have a chance to say anything else as the teacher called his name, asking him to answer the question on the whiteboard. He choked up, unable to do so as Usopp snickered. That was a mistake because then the question was thrown at the other boy who also couldn’t answer it, his anxiety and embarrassment taking over. 

Their peers laughed lightly at him as the teacher moved on. “And this is why you don’t talk during my class,” said the other as they went back to the problem on the board. The two made eye contact with each other, glaring before laughing loudly to themselves. 

The day went on. With Luffy still buzzing in his seat, Usopp laughing at him, Chopper excited for the day to end, and Kaya and Vivi just rolling their eyes. While the two of them were close to the Strawhat gang, as they liked to call themselves, their bond was completely different from what the nine of them had with each other. So they could understand why the three youngest members were ready for school to end. 

And when it did, all hell broke loose. 

The five of them crowded into Usopp’s car, stopping at individual homes to change, drop off bookbags, and get clothes for the rest of the night. Stops were made at a nearby flower shop (“Sanji said that we should get Zoro some flowers!” said Luffy), Nami’s dorm (“My roommate doesn’t mind if the girls stay with me.” said the organette.), and then finally at Sanji and Zoro’s shared apartment. 

Sanji was there waiting for them, Zoro had already left for his call time. Bags and extra blankets were placed in the corner of the living room, flowers were placed on the counter, and everyone was using the time to catch up. Soon after, Brooke arrived, then Robin and Franky, and finally Perona. The whole “we-love-you-Zoro” group was together, all excited about the play. 

“It’s always interesting to see an actor of color perform Shakespeare,” said Robin. “We’ve seen many black actors do Shakespeare but not a lot of Asian actors. And on a western stage.” 

Usopp nodded his head, understanding what Robin was saying. “I was talking about that with Zoro. Depending on whoever they cast for each part switches the meaning of the show…”

The two went on, talking about Shakespeare and race, which was cool to Luffy. He just couldn’t follow or join in. He just finished reading the play and all he did was read it. No analysis or thought going into the characters or setting. He didn’t think it was necessary for him to do so, it was enough that he read it all the way through. 

The conversation switched around a lot. They went from talking about the show, to the cast party, to college life, to Robin’s trip, Franky’s race, back to the show, getting alcohol (“I’ll buy you all alcohol!” said Franky with a thumbs up, all of those who were underaged cheered loudly.), and then just to whatever. When it was time to head out, they all packed into three different cars and went to the school. 

The building was big, bigger than what Luffy was expecting. It was mainly made of glass windows and had a large fountain outside of it. It was pretty and not what Luffy was expecting. Inside, there were already people waiting for doors to open in the lobby area. Nami waved at a few people who noticed her. “I have a class with them,” she told her friends with a shrug. 

Doors opened at exactly 7:15. Ushers waited to scan tickets and give programs to the audience members. Luffy never cared to read teh programs, he always found himself either throwing them away or putting them back in the bins. Usopp on the other hand carefully read the program and even saved them. The other boy could still remember his friend opening up a big box full of programs from different shows. “These are all my prized possessions.” 

Luffy decided to give the programs a chance, only because he wanted to take a picture of Zoro’s name and send it to him on Snapchat. There, with his other cast members, was Zoro Roronoa as Romeo! With a smile, the younger boy took a picture, added a few gifs and the text, “it’s you!”, and then sent it to the other. He knew that he wouldn’t get an immediate response. When it comes to shows, Zoro would always keep his phone far from him as he prepared himself to go on stage. “I remember watching him meditate before a show,” Usopp told him. “Every actor has a way to prepare themselves for a performance and his is through meditation.”

“How do you prepare for a show?” asked Chopper. 

“Something like Zoro. I sit by myself in a corner and just breathe.” 

Luffy simply hummed at the given answer, finding that as a way to connect and better understand Zoro. He was never good when it came to acting or anything theatre-sque so everything about this world amazed him. 

Conversation among all of them continued until the lights dimmed, shushing everyone. A voice was heard, welcoming everyone to their school and thanking them for coming to the show. “Please make sure that all cellular devices are turned off--” oh fuck, he forgot to do that. He scrambled to put his phone on silent, double-checking that everything was clear. “-- Please, enjoy the show.” 

Applause filled the space as it went completely black. Then lights shined down on the stage and the show began. And honestly?

Luffy was amazed!

Hearing others say the lines and include movement made it, somewhat, easier for him to understand the play. There were times where the language went over his head but that didn’t matter as the actors helped him understand what was going on. Their acting, costumes, and presence were different from their high school, it was amazing. 

Then, Zoro walked on the stage and he felt his heart skip a beat. With the others new hair color, hair cut, and costume, Luffy had to keep himself from screaming in glee for his friend. He looked so cool and in the zone while acting. The lines followed naturally for him, he looked natural and just amazing.

Everyone in the show was amazing but Zoro was  _ amazing _ . 

It continued. With Zoro meeting Juliet, their pursuit for each other, their kiss, and their families not wanting them together. The two of them were fantastic together. They felt so real that Luffy began to think that they were dating. 

Wait a minute. 

What if that was the reason why they were so good together? That it was because Zoro met this girl, probably during the rehearsal process, and started dating her?

No, no, no! If that was the case then Zoro would’ve told the younger boy about the relationship. They told each other everything, why would Zoro keep this from him?

He shook his head, hoping to rid himself of such negative thoughts to watch and enjoy the performance. He shouldn’t be thinking such a thing while his friend was performing, that was rude. 

By the end of the performance, loud applause and cheering followed as all of the cast members took their bows. Zoro and Juliet both held hands as they bowed together, getting everyone to cheer for them. The Strawhat gang was the loudest bunch. All screaming Zoro’s name and whistling, even Sanji was joining in! Luffy laughed loudly, proud of his friend’s performance. Though, in the back corner of his hand, was the doubt of the other’s possible relationship. 

The audience filed out of the theatre, waiting for the cast members to come out and greet them. It took awhile for Zoro to join them but when he did, Usopp, Chopper and Luffy tackled the other to the floor with hugs. It had been so long since the high schoolers had seen his friend and it was because of rehearsal. Once off the floor, everyone began to hug and congratulate Zoro for his accomplishments. 

“Are these your friends?” came a voice from behind the group, all parting to see who was talking. There, stood a girl with short red hair and freckles scattered across her face. She wore sweats and a sweater as if she just rolled out of bed. “You were right, they are lively.” 

All eyes flashed with confusion, unsure of who she was until Zoro cleared his throat. “Everyone, this Alexandria, she was the one who played Juliet.” 

And just like that, everyone got it. None of them could recognize her without her long brown hair and flowing dresses. She looked like a completely different person! 

“Hey everyone,” said Alexandria, the gang all saying hello back. They even told her that they loved her performance, thus causing the other to laugh lightly. “Thank you, thank you. I owe my great performance to my wonderful Romeo. I don’t know if I would’ve been that great if I had anyone else acting alongside me.” She lightly shoved Zoro causing him to crack a smile. 

Just like that, his thoughts from earlier began to take over. He didn’t like that, he didn’t like these thoughts or even this feeling that he didn’t know everything about his friend. It just wasn’t right. 

“Are you guys coming to the cast party? It’s at my place and we’ll have stuff if you can’t get your own.” Someone called her name, another group of people who were waiting for her. “I gotta go, my friends showed up as well. See you guys tonight.” With that, she left the Strawhat gang and went to her own group. 

“The party doesn’t start ‘till 10 so we can just chill at our place and pregame,” said Zoro, all of his friends agreeing and exiting from the building. Laughter took over the group, everyone talking about different things, Usopp and Zoro talking about the play. Luffy just walked beside his friends, jumping in whenever it was appropriate for him. 

His thoughts were still there, poking at him, taunting him. But he had decided that he wasn’t going to be negative and just enjoy what was going to happen that night. He got this, he’ll be fine. 

Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for not posting in like two weeks. ever since i got back to school, i had rehearsal every day for a show that i directed. now that it's over, i have enough time to work on this fic while also doing school work. so please enjoy this. i'm working on chapter 6 and my goal is to post it today or early tomorrow morning.


	6. drunk theatre kids vs drunk strawhat gang

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: for underage drinking and throwing up

He was wrong, he was not fine. 

Before stopping at Sanji and Zoro’s apartment, Franky went to the store and bought the younger members something to drink. They cheered, thanking the motorcyclist for doing so. Once back, Robin, Franky, and Brook all decided to head out. 

“As much as I would love to party with you all, I don’t think to have someone who’s almost in his 30s at a college party.” Brook pulled Zoro into a hug, lightly patting his back. “I’m so proud of you my little broken compass, next time, I’ll bring you lots and lots of flowers!” Zoro simply grumbled at that but hugged the other back. Then he left, the couple following soon after. 

The others all cracked open the alcohol, getting themselves ready for a night of fun. Vivi took on the task of acting as the driver for the night since she didn’t want to get drunk. The others all thanked her as they took sips from their cups. 

Once it was nearing 10, everyone started heading out of the apartment, into the car, and to the party. Luffy had never gone to a college party before since Zoro wasn’t sure if he could invite non-theatre majors to cast parties and Nami would only invite Vivi and Kaya. So, of course, he was excited to see what was going to happen. 

Since they were theatre kids, that meant that they probably liked musicals like Usopp and Zoro. Would they start singing randomly, would they recite Shakespeare lines, oh, would there be a drunk adaptation of Romeo and Juliet? That would be cool to see. 

“There’s nothing different about cast parties,” said Zoro, squished in between Usopp, Kaya, and Sanji in the backseat. “They’re just a lot more welcoming and loud.” 

“Sounds exciting,” said Usopp, Kaya nodding her head in agreement. 

When they arrived at the house and walked inside, Luffy was surprised that no musicals were playing. Instead, there was normal music playing. Like, pop songs, cool! They all filled inside, Zoro leading the bunch and getting a lot of people to scream his name. Different types of people came over, hugging and talking to him, saying that they loved his performance. Then their eyes would navigate over to his friends and welcome them. 

Someone lead the group to the kitchen, encouraging them to drink the juice that was made for the night. “I don’t think that I’m going to drink any of that,” said Chopper, voice having to raise so that the others could hear him over the music. Kaya also agreed with him, not trusting whatever was put into it.

Nami, on the other hand, went all for it. She got a cup for herself and she went to town. Usopp shrugged his shoulders, following her, Luffy also doing the same. It was very fruity and had some weird taste to it but not weird enough to make Luffy stop drinking it. 

  
After that, the Strawhat gang met a variety of people. The majority of them were theatre majors, others were just friends with theatre kids. It was obvious that some of them were a bit nervous to have high schoolers at the party but as they kept drinking and forgot about age, more and more people began to talk to them. 

At one point, Luffy had lost sight of Zoro as he was roped into talking to different people. Honestly, he lost track of most of his friends! He found himself, laughing at whatever some random guy was saying, in the corner of the room. He didn’t have a problem with it at first, he was enjoying the fun so far. Until he saw the two of them. 

Across the room were Alexandria and Zoro, both talking closely and laughing to themselves. Alexandria’s clothes were different from earlier, now dressed in something that didn’t hide her body and showed skin. She was unbearably close to Zoro, their closeness made Luffy want to pull them away. 

“Dude, are you okay?” brown eyes shot back to the guy that he was talking to. Green eyes held confusion and worry. “Do you need some water or something?”

“Uh, yeah, yeah!” said Luffy, a bit too loudly and chirpy, his usual smile coming across his face. Or at least, something that vaguely resembles it. “I think I need to hold off on the jungle juice, I’ll be back.” With that, he headed for the kitchen. 

Inside, was Sanji talking alongside Vivi about something, Luffy wasn’t sure nor did he really care to listen. Dumping whatever was in his cup into the sink, he turned on the faucet and placed his cup underneath the flowing water. Then he chugged it as if it was the jungle juice. Droplets of water rolling down the side of his mouth. 

Once he was done, he headed back into the living room and to the guy who he was talking to (who waited for him! Wow, college students are really nice!). The two began to talk about whatever once again, well, it was mainly Luffy asking different questions about being a college student which the guy answered without a problem. He couldn’t remember the name of the other guy, so he just chose the name “Chad” for him until he said his name again. 

As he was asking Chad about the food on campus, he heard Nami’s screaming. “Zoro!” she grabbed onto his arm, pulling both him and Luffy out of their respective conversations. “These fucking theatre kids are trying to say that we would lose against them at a drinking game. We’ve gotta put them in their place.” Without waiting for him to respond, he was dragged down into the basement, leaving Alexandria alone. 

“Oh that’s gonna be fun to see,” said Chad, pulling back on the reigns of Luffy’s attention. “Zoro has only gone to a few parties since coming here and he rarely takes part in drinking games. But when he does, he usually wins.” Yeah, no shit because it was Zoro, silly Chad. “Wanna go watch them?” 

Luffy looked at the door that the two and various others were going through. It would be fun to watch his friends drink and most likely demolish the theatre kids. Yet, he found himself shaking his head, declining the others offer. So, he watched Chad shrug his shoulders and followed the rest of the crowd. Because of the upcoming race, the living room was basically cleared. Only a few people were inside, none of them were his friends. 

Plopping himself down on the couch, now that it was open, he was ready to just play some random game on his phone until one of his friends joined him. Or even Chad, he liked Chad! He was a nice guy despite his fratty look. The spot next to him sunk as someone sat down but he didn’t look up at them. He just thought it was someone who was also taking up the opportunity to sit on the couch. The couch was big enough for the two of them to sit!

“I’m glad that Zoro brought all of you along, even if you’re all high schoolers.” The familiar voice caught him off guard, causing him to lose his game. Looking up, he found himself staring at Alexandria who was looking ahead. “We just gotta be careful that no one leaks that we got minors at a college party,” she said with a soft laugh. She then made eye contact with him. “Luffy, right?” 

He just nodded his head, unable to speak like before. “Zoro talked about you a lot, well, if I asked him.” That sounded like his friend. “Said that you all are his best friends and showed me videos of all of you. You all know how to have some fun.” She laughed a bit, Luffy joined in, not sure why he just did so. Then there was silence between them. The younger boy could hear cheering from the basement and the quiet chatter from the kitchen. Neither one of them were talking, he didn’t know what to say to her. 

Luckily, he didn’t have to come up with something as Alexandria started talking again. “I have a question, um.” She turned, her full body facing him as she twirled a strand of hair. Luffy has seen girls do this in movies or in real life if they were flirting, Nami and Vivi were prime examples. But this girl didn’t look like the two as she messed with her short strands of hair. She looked almost nervous. “This is very personal but I really want to know.” Taking in a deep breath, she asked, “Do you know if Zoro is dating anyone?”

Oh. Fuck. 

He just stared at her, mouth hanging slightly open. Not a single word or sound came out but it was alright as she continued. “Because every time someone would ask him, he would never answer. Granted, it was during rehearsal and he was always called up on stage to do stuff. Then, when he was done, we would’ve forgotten,” she explained. “Some people think that he has a partner and just doesn’t want to tell us. Others think that he isn’t dating someone but he does have someone that he likes but he still won’t tell us. So I thought, why don’t I ask his best friend and see what does he know because--”

Oh, God. 

“Because I really like him and want to know if it’s even worth shooting my shot.”

Fuck. 

Luffy just stared at her and she stared back. He could see in her eyes how vulnerable and honest she was at the moment, how she opened up to him about feelings for his best friend. Feelings that he had a hunch that she had, feelings that made him feel sick at his stomach. Or maybe that was the alcohol in his system. 

She didn’t continue talking, waiting for him to answer. He blinked a few times, finally finding the energy to respond. “T-there’s no one that I know of, and I’m not saying this as if I don’t know because Zoro tells me everything.” Because if the older boy did have someone that he liked then he would’ve told him, without a doubt. “So yeah, you should go ahead to tell him. I’ll support you.”

His words only calmed her nerves and not his own. He watched as she relaxed into her seat and as he couldn’t do the same. “Okay, okay, cool,” she said, mainly to herself. She then placed a hand on his shoulder and he tensed up. “Thank you so much, I really appreciate you, Luffy.”

He gave her a small smile as his stomach continued to churn. He felt like he was going to throw up but he kept it down, he didn’t want to throw up on her, that would’ve been rude. The cheering from downstairs broke up their moment, signaling that someone won. It was probably Nami and Zoro, he knew that the two of them wouldn’t let some theatre kids beat them. 

“I guess the game is over with.” Alexandria stood to her feet, now looking down at Luffy. “Wanna go downstairs and see who won?” 

The younger boy shook his head, not wanting to verbally answer her. If he opened his mouth, he might end up throwing up on her. She shrugged her shoulders, heading down the stairs. Once she was out of sight, Luffy jumped up to his feet and ran out of the front door. He didn’t have time to even close it as he threw up all of the alcohol that he consumed into the grass. 

He was throwing up everything at the moment. The alcohol, the conversation, and his true feelings of Alexandria’s confession. It was all coming up. And after he was done and it was all out, he didn’t feel any better as he started to cry. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know that i said that I would upload this like last week but I didn't. Sorry, everyone! I do hope that you enjoyed this chapter. this is based on the parties that I've gone to as an actual theatre kid in college. they're very loud and very welcoming. everyone should go to a college theatre party at least once in their college career.


	7. trick or treat

“Come on Luffy, they’re waiting for us.” 

“I’m coming, I’m coming.” Pulling the piece of his head, the younger boy fixed it to where he was able to look through the eye holes properly and that he was able to push his arms through their respective holes. Once everything looked in check, he gave himself a thumbs up and opened the door. “How does it look?” 

Usopp just stared at his friend, eyes wide as he examined what the other was wearing. “Is that it?”

“Yes.”

“You were in the bathroom for 30 minutes trying to put that on?”

“Well, I actually fell asleep while on the toilet. It took me a minute to put this on.”

“Luffy, you can’t be serious.”

“What, what’s wrong with it?”

“What do you mean, ‘what’s wrong with it’? It’s a boring ass costume, of course!”

Said costume that the two boys were talking about was one that Luffy kept telling his friends was a masterpiece and his best idea ever. And this masterpiece ended up being a bed sheet with holes, thus making the younger boy a ghost. It was just a typical and plain look that a five-year-old could’ve made the costume. The only thing different about it was the holes on the side, as the teenager was able to stick his arms through it. There were also red stains on the sheet, the stains darker outside of the eyeholes. Usopp should’ve known better than to let his friend make his own costume because this was going to be the result of it. 

“This is not boring, this is cool,” Luffy defended himself, crossing his arms over his chest. “Don’t you see the blood on it? And right here?” he gestured towards his eyes. “I’m a scary ghost, one that is out for blood.”

Usopp just stared at his friend, lost for words. What else could he say? It was obvious that no matter what the other boy wouldn’t care. He was proud of his costume and the hard work put into it. “Alright, fine, whatever,” said the dark boy, sighing. “Let’s go. They’re waiting for us outside.”

The two boys walked down the stairs, picking up bags as they went. Garp was sitting on the couch, flipping through different channels on the TV. He didn’t even look up at the two boys, only saying a quick, “Have fun, don’t do drugs or else I’ll throw your ass in jail!” The boys simply nodded their heads, laughing carefully. While it sounded like a joke, knowing the older man, he would easily lock them up. 

Once outside, they were met with a few “finallys” and “what took you so long” from friends. There was Chopper wearing a zombie costume, Kaya as a vampire, and Ace and Sabo wore matching policemen uniforms, shades included. Usopp was dawning a werewolf costume that he made himself. There were constant updates on the creation of the costume in their group chat. 

“Guys,” whined Luffy, eyes on the two older boys and a frown on his face even though none of them could see it. “Your costume is so lame.” 

“Hey now, we paid good money for this really cool costume.” Ace stood behind his best friend, arms crossed and nodding his head in agreement. 

“Yeah, you’re just jealous that we didn’t ask you to match with us.”

“Why would I want to be a cop? That’s boring and not cool.” 

“Hey!” the teens all jumped, turning towards the front door as Garp stuck his head out. “Being a cop is a lot of fun and is really cool,” he told his grandson, now Ace and Sabo agreeing with him a few “you tell him gramps” and “respect the law, Luffy”. He then began to inspect his grandson’s costume. “Luffy, what the hell are you wearing?”

“It’s my evil ghost costume,” Luffy said with a groan as he pushed past his friends and away from the house. “Now, let’s go get candy.”

The others all followed them as some little kids ran up to the Monkey D’s house, screaming “trick or treat” to Garp. 

This was one of the gang’s favorite holidays of the year. Ever since they were kids, they would all get together and go trick or treating. It became their tradition, as they would switch around with whose neighborhood they were going to. Last year, they were in Sanji’s neighborhood. This year, they’re in Luffy and Usopp’s. The only difference between this year than last year was the group itself. 

Before, they were missing Robin who was working at the time. So, they made Franky facetime her as they went door to door. It was fun and they were all having a good time. But this year, more of them were unable to join. Robin and Franky were using the time to have a date after Franky’s recent competition. Brook couldn’t call off because someone was having a private event at the cafe. Nami was invited to a Halloween party and dragged Vivi with her. Zoro was at some theatre Halloween party and Sanji was most likely working. It was sad to know that their group was smaller but nevertheless, they were still going to have a lot of fun!

It was strange, having a bunch of older kids coming to get candy but none of the adults refused to give them candy. They were given chocolate bars, skittles, suckers, and even… a toothbrush. 

“Mr. Wilson does this every year!” Complained Ace who held up his fire red toothbrush. “And the fact that he has toothbrushes for adults makes me wonder if he was waiting for us.”

“Maybe he was,” said Kaya, laughing lightly. “He probably felt it in his soul that we were coming.”

Chopper laughed as Ace began to put on a scene as Mr. Wilson. He held onto his heart and then his head, panic in his eyes. “Oh, goodness me, Mrs. Wilson!” he cried, looking at Sabo, his best friend also joining in the act. 

“Yes, Mr. Wilson?” he asked, his voice higher than usual. 

“I have this strange… feeling in my heart…”

“Oh, dear! Is it about us getting a divorce? Because I understand if you want to get one.” 

“No, no, that’s not it this time--” the younger teens were laughing, hands covering their mouths. “I sense that we’re going to have a bunch of teenagers come to our house to treat or trick.” 

“Oh my!” Sabo held his hand up to his mouth in shock. “Aren’t they too old for such an activity?”

“That they are but I’m guessing they do not care.” He then grabbed Sabo’s hand, holding it tightly. “Do you know what this means?”

“What, Mr. Wilson?”

“That I have to get adult toothbrushes as well! Come, Mrs. Wilson, we must go to Walmart.”

Then together, the two boys started skipping a few steps ahead of everyone as they laughed. Once the boys had dropped their roles, they bowed as their friends cheered for them. “Wow, maybe I should drop my Graphic Designer major and become a Theatre major. I killed it as Mr. Wilson.” Everyone simply laughed at Ace as they continued with their route. 

More houses began to give them all candy, a few people gave them odd looks, and some kids would make fun of Luffy’s costume. “Hey, at least I made my own costume. What did you do, ask your mommy to buy it for you from PartyCity or Walmart?’

One of the kids didn’t like that response as she started to cry. The group had to quickly pull Luffy away before her parents could say anything to them. Usopp and Sabo gave Luffy a good whack on the head. 

Two hours in, the group found themselves back in front of Luffy’s house. Sitting outside on the porch was Dragon, a bowl of candy sitting on his lap as he gave more small children candy. Once the children ran off, the group stood before him, bags opened wide as they shouted, “TRICK OR TREAT!” 

Dragon simply smiled at them, dropping one piece of candy into each of their bags. Though, this action caused Luffy to say, “greedy old man”, and that earned Luffy a good kick to the foot. 

The group joined Dragon on the porch, using the time to take pictures together. They got a few group pictures and then some solo ones. It was a requirement that after each group function, pictures had to be taken.

With his phone out, Luffy was getting ready to post his pictures to Instagram as he clicked on the app. The first thing he saw was a post from Zoro. He was dressed up as a swordsman with a few of his theatre friends. Alexandria was with him in one of the pictures, dressed up as a rocker. 

While the only picture that they were in together was a group one, it still didn’t sit well with Luffy. It had been a few weeks after the cast party. After he threw up, he walked in without any of his friends realized what happened to him. He just continued to smile and party like usual, not wanting to show his true feelings. 

That also meant avoiding eye contact with Zoro, who for sure would’ve figured him out with just a single glance. But he made sure to look away from the other, blaming the alcohol for his lack of eye contact. That made his older friend laugh, understanding what the younger boy. 

He quickly liked the post and left a comment (he always did that for his friends) as he uploaded his own group pictures. Once they were up, he closed out of the app as he heard his friends head into the Monkey D’s house. He could smell whatever his grandfather was cooking, which almost made him throw his friends out of his way. There was no time to be heartbroken when there’s meatloaf staring at you. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello again! this chapter was pretty short and not as exciting as the previous ones. I didn't know what else to write about without doing something that i will hit on in other stories. such as usopp's show and franky's competition. those will be looked at in their own stories, which i'm still working on. 
> 
> for now, please just enjoy this chapter! also, it is very on-brand for Luffy to dress up as a ghost using a bedsheet and red paint. none of you can fight me on that.


	8. mugiwara photoshoot

Was your friend group a real friend group if they didn’t have a photoshoot? For the Mugiwara gang, a yearly photoshoot was their favorite thing to do. Of course, pictures were taken throughout the year at birthday parties, 4th of July, Halloween, even during normal hangout sessions. Pictures were posted onto Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat. However, none of those sessions could top their yearly photoshoot. 

“Okay, more to the right Luffy. Zoro, tilt your head more to the left. Sanji! Put out that damn cigarette.” 

The three listened closely to Ace as he snapped different photos of them. The rest of the gang were standing behind him, making sure not to get in his way and getting their own behind the scenes photos. The three boys were a trip and a half as Ace tried to get them together. Luffy kept moving in the wrong direction and Sanji and Zoro were always arguing with each other when the other person got in their way. While the others were laughing and Ace groaned in frustration, it was Nami who swiftly entered the scene and whacked the three upside their heads. “Sorry Nami,” they said in unison as the other smiled proudly at herself. 

After the trio was Franky and Robin, some cute couple shots of them. It was so cute and tooth aching that the others all wanted to throw up because of it! “Jeez, get a room you two,” said Chopper, causing Usopp and Luffy to howl in laughter. But he didn’t mean anything that he said, it was obvious that they were all happy for the two of them. The group have been together for years, since their childhood moments, so they watched the two fall in love. A beautiful thing to see if you asked them, but still sickeningly sweet. 

“You’re all just jealous that you don’t have anyone to love like this!” Shouted Franky, his arms wrapped around a smiling Robin before he placed a kiss to her cheek. “You’re all depressed and single as hell!” 

“Whoa there! “ 

“Shots fucking fired!” 

“YOU ALL GOT FUCKING BURNED!!!!” 

“Ace, I”m sure that includes you as well.” 

All fun and games for the group, no one ever meant to hurt anyone. Even with all of their arguments and physical fights…. and friendship breakups, they were still a family. Destined to always be together no matter what happens. And Luffy loved that so much. 

“Hey Zoro,” he called out, instantly jumping onto the other boy’s back, a wide grin on his face. “Whatcha up to? Texting Perona?” 

Zoro, who was on his face but put it away to hold onto Luffy, just nodded gently. “Yeah, she wants me to send her the pictures that we take today. She wants Ace to take her senior year pictures soon since he’s a fantastic photographer— I guess it’s the graphic design major in him.” 

“Oh yeah, Ace is amazing! He already told me that he’s going to do my graduation pictures.” 

“I would hope so, he’s basically your brother. And he should do it for free.” 

Luffy’s eyes wandered over to Ace, watching as the older boy continued to direct the others in a next set of pictures. Despite his usual clownish personality, he was rather serious right now. Which happened whenever he was in his element aka photography and designing. “Nah,” he finally answered. “I’m gonna pay him, I mean, he deserves it. Family or not, I shouldn’t always get stuff for free.” 

Zoro hummed and for a beat, they were both silent. Until Luffy continued, lightly pulling on his friend’s ear. “But you? I expect you to give me free tickets to all of your shows. I deserve it!” 

“Hey now, he can get money but I can’t? You’re a shitty best friend you know that right?” 

“Yeah but I’m your shitty best friend.” 

The two laughed loudly at each other, pulling and poking at the other person. In the midst of their silliness and playing around, they didn’t notice an Ace who was staring at them from afar. He had a moment, just a few seconds, to capture the in the moment picture of the duo. Those were always the best type of pictures, the ones where the people weren’t aware of the camera. There was no fakeness with them, the moment was always so real and genuine. If he could take pictures like this for a living, he would just because of the outcome. 

He only got one picture before he was caught by the duo, only because Usopp had asked him what he was doing. Both Luffy and Zoro had looked up in curiosity, only to see the camera pointing in their direction. “Hey, did you just get a picture of us, Ace? Let me see!” Jumping off of Zoro’s back, the younger boy ran over to his older brother, jumping in the air as if the other would catch him. 

He did not. Ace moved out of the way, in both fear and pure assholeness, letting Luffy fall to the ground. 

“Luffy!” Shouted Nami, the other standing above him with her hands on her hips, eyebrows furrowed in anger. “What are you doing? Get up before you ruin your clothes.” 

“If they’re ruined, blame Ace because he didn’t try to catch me.” 

“Oh, was I supposed to do that?” Asked Ace, pinkie finger in his ear to dig out any earwax. “You’re too heavy for me to catch and carry like before.” 

“Hey, I’m not heavy! I’m a skinny legend, just ask Zoro, he’ll tell you.” 

Eyes went to Zoro who, well, wasn’t paying them any mind. He was on the phone with someone, standing far off from the group. He was laughing and smiling because of whoever was on the other line, which caused Luffy to pout and Ace to laugh as if he was the victor. Jeez, how dare Zoro! He was supposed to be his best friend and be there for him! Whoever was on the other line better be someone important or else the younger boy will riot! 

The photoshoot continued the same way Zoro’s phone call continued, which only made Luffy moody the entire time. Nami and Usopp got a few pictures together, either of one of them standing and the other squatting and a few of the pair on the ground, looking like total badasses. Then there was Nami and Robin who looked amazing in their shots, both pulling off that powerful women type of look. Robin rocked the older and cool persona while Nami rocked the younger and more youthful type of vibe. 

There were shots of Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper all together, mostly doing funny faces and silly poses. They were the group’s “ baby nation “ so their pictures matched what they were dedicated as. Franky, Brooke, and Robin as “ adult nation “ got shots together. It was only Brooke and Franky of the trio that actually did funny poses and knowing Robin, the two older men had her in the middle and centered their poses around her. As if she was their queen and they were both the jesters. They did get one nice and serious picture together, all three standing next to each other with serious expressions on their faces. 

“Nice!” 

“Robin!!! You’re looking GOOD.” 

“CAN YOUR BOYFRIEND FIGHT???” 

“Sanji, she’s with Franky--” 

“I said what I said.” 

Laughter all around at the duo banter as Usopp rolled his eyes and Sanji continued to swoon over the older woman. 

When Zoro finally got off his phone, Luffy happy about this, he got in to take pictures with Nami and Sanji. The only three in college, also known as the “ forgotten nation “ as they were middle children and it was a running meme that the middle child was always forgotten and looked over. But who could forget and look over these three who were always so rambunctious in everything they did. 

Despite how much Zoro and Sanji usually fought with each other, the two were fairly tamed during this part of the photoshoot. It mostly had to do with Nami being there with them but a part of Luffy wanted to say that it had to do with the phone call that Zoro just had. Because he looked genuinely… happy. Luffy knew for sure that it wasn’t Perona! Because Zoro never looked that happy after getting off the phone with his younger sister. So it had to be someone else, but what other friends did he have outside of them-- oh. 

His heart sank at who came to mind. He could still remember her that night, despite it being weeks from that moment, and how nervous she looked. Hell, he was nervous during the conversation and it wasn’t him admitting his feelings for his best friend. Which he definitely did not have for Zoro, no sir, none at all! He could swear on that. 

He just didn’t like the idea of Zoro being with her or anyone honestly. 

That doesn’t mean that he had feelings. 

...

… Right? 

“Okay, let’s get in some group pictures, and then we can end this day with solo pictures, cool? Oh, Zoro, you said that you needed some new headshots right? I can get those arranged for you?” 

“Thanks, Ace,” he said. “You know, a bunch of people in my major need some headshots as well, I was just telling one of them about you. If you want some more money and new people, I can give them your contact information.” 

Ace’s eyes lit up, his pupils instantly turning into dollar signs, a single arm being thrown around Zoro’s neck. “This is why you’re my favorite, you know that, Zoro.” 

“I thought that I was your favorite.” 

“Yeah on Tuesdays, today isn’t Tuesday so you’re not my favorite for the day.” He flicked Luffy’s head as if he was a pest. “Come back to me on your specific day.” 

“I hate it here!” 

“Yeah, yeah, hate it here by standing next to the others. Let’s finish up this photoshoot everyone.” 

Ace directed the nine of them into specific positions for their group pictures. He had Robin, Franky, Brooke, Nami, Zoro, and Sanji all standing up in almost straight line while Usopp, Chopper, and Luffy either sat on the ground or were kneeling. “Now this is supposed to be a serious pose where everyone needs to have a straight face of some kind. Oh! Or better yet, everyone tries to look like a total badass!” There was a beat, as he really took in everyone and their faces. He only frowned when he saw Chopper’s. 

The other was trying so hard to be a total tough guy but with his adorable little face consisting of chubby cheeks and neatly brushed back brown hair, it wasn’t working for him. “Sorry, cut that. Just go without the faces because Chopper can’t look like an asshole.” 

“I-- I’m not sure if that’s supposed to be a compliment or an insult…” 

“Meh, nor do I! Hold still folks.” 

He got in several spots to take the pictures. From an up close perspective to a far off shot. He even did some standing up and others laying down, just to get the right feel for the pictures. 

Ace then had everyone standing up against the brick wall that they were using as their backdrop. One shot was done by height, going from the tallest member to the shortest member. The second shot was done by age-- basically, it always began with Brooke and ended with Chopper. 

“To be the first one in line is truly a privilege,” said Brooke, thump up as if he was talking to a camera like this was The Office. The others just rolled their eyes at his antics. 

The final picture, and definitely their favorite, was everyone bunched together for a group hug. It was initiated out of the blue by Chopper, screaming “ GROUP HUG “ as he threw his arms around Zoro and Usopp, which resulted in everyone else getting in on the love. Lots of laughter, lots of poking fun at each other, lots of genuine moments. And Ace made sure to get every little piece of it. 

When group pictures were done, everyone crowded around Ace to see what the shots looked like. 

“Wow, Ace,” said Nami. “These are really good and a lot better than taking pictures on someone’s phone.” 

“I bet that all of these pictures would still look nice even if I took them on my phone.” Cocky he was, he knocked on his chest to really prove his point. A moment of regret flashed across Nami’s face. 

“R-right…” 

“Okay, finally, let’s do these solo shots. Chopper, you’re first!” 

The younger boy beamed, running over to the brick wall to get his headshots in. Everyone else stood behind Ace, either to watch the photos be taken or get in their own little behind the scenes pictures of Chopper. Only Luffy wasn’t paying attention, instead, he groaned as he leaned his head up against Zoro’s back. “Zoroooo,” he drew out, pout on his face. “Why weren’t you paying me any attention earlier? I needed you but you totally blew me off.” 

“Wait, when did I blow you off?” 

“Ten minutes ago when you were on the phone!” He whined like a child. “Who were you on the phone with anyways? Perona?” 

“No, it was Alexandria, she had a question about--” 

He knew it and he felt sick. Just like the night of the cast party where he wanted to throw up but there was no alcohol in his system that he wanted to let out. And he was for sure not going to throw up his breakfast and lunch, he wasn’t that upset! But to know that Zoro was on the phone with her made him unwell. 

Luffy zoned him out completely, not hearing anything else that his best friend was saying. He barely even heard Ace calling his name, it was only because of Nami pulling him along that he realized that it was his turn for the pictures. When told to smile, he just stood there, hunched over and a frown on his face. 

“Luffy, come on, smile.” 

“What’s with him right now?” 

“Yo, buzzcut, do you know what’s with Luffy?” 

“How am I supposed to know?” 

“Well, weren’t the two of you talking just now?” 

“That doesn’t mean I know anything.” 

“Luffy, I swear if you don’t smile, I’ll punch you in the gut.” 

“Come now, Luffy, we’re all waiting for you.” 

“If you smile, I’ll buy you food from whatever restaurant you want to go to.” 

“Deal!”

All eyes were on Brooke who did his little weird and strange laughter, proud to see that his offer was taken up. The others just went from staring at Brooke to a widely grinning Luffy, who made sure to make all of his pictures look good. Food really does control him, huh. 

The rest of the session went well with everyone getting their pictures in and then Usopp took the camera to get some of Ace. When they were all done for the day, everyone began to pack into their respective cars. Luffy got into the car with Brooke, Chopper, and Ace, feet patting a little beat on the floor of the car. Yeah he was upset about the whole Zoro and Alexandria phone call thing but to get food soon enough? Oh baby, happy day!

“I do have a question.” All eyes turned to look at Ace who’s attention was on his camera, looking through the pictures that he took. “What was this year’s theme? Colors?” 

“It was everyone’s group colors!” answered Chopper. “We all have specific colors that fit us that we decided to incorporate somehow into our outfit.” 

“You do your color and then something black to go with it,” Brooke took over. “I had the color white, Luffy red, Zoro green, Nami orange, Usopp yellow, Sanji blue, Chopper pink, Robin purple, and Franky has light blue.” 

“It was Nami and Usopp’s idea. They were going through our google folder and organizing everything when the idea came to them-- since we have it color coordinated depending on the person,” explained Chopper. “Since everyone owns something black, we thought that it would be a good idea.” 

Ace nodded his head, awing at the idea. “Maybe I should partner up with Nami and Usopp, the two of them could help me with organizing all of my shoots.” 

“Yeah but Nami would charge you a lot of money for her to do that!” The car filled with laughter as they drove away from the shoot site. “Okay, now Brooke! You better keep your promise about buying me food because I’m in the mood for a cheeseburger.” 

“Oh, I want one too.” 

“Me three!” 

“OHOHOHOHO!” Laughed Brooke, smiling gently at the boy's excitement. “Alright then, let’s go to a family diner then and the four of us get lunch there, yeah?” 

“ALRIGHT!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone, it's been a year! so sorry for not updating at all, this pandemic has really killed me, especially around the time of my last update. i was in my last semester of college so all of my motivation for writing just left my body completely. but im back again and here to do better. i'm gonna get in the habit of updating weekly again and if i miss one week, i'll update you guys with two chapters. i promise you that!
> 
> also headcanons!  
> \- all of the colors for the strawhats are on the one piece wiki page but i was already going to use them, since they're in a lot of oda's manga cover pages  
> \- brooke got some big money if he's able to pay for ace and luffy OIAJGIAA  
> \- once again, ace is a graphic design major who has an interest in photography 
> 
> that's all for now! see you all next week! oh! and updates will still happen on sundays, i just wanted to update today, that's all, have a nice day.


End file.
